With the release of Holy Hell, the first movie to premiere as a Ipad App, a new distribution frontier opens up for independent filmmakers. As a new business model of DIY cinema, the app suggests a new model for release, serializing the movie in distinct chapters that include additional Transmedia bonus materials. The filmmakers (Rafael Antonio Ruiz and Lowell Bartholomee and programmer Jeff Blagg) document the intricate production process involved in adapting their film to this emerging format as well as how the app also opens up new narrative strategies, creating a new business model for cinematic material.

Part of the magic of the movies has always been the act of going to the cinema. Is this just because they have a bigger screen than you have at home, or a better sound system? Of course not. The visceral experience of sharing a film with hundreds of strangers is fundamental to the allure.

Interactive, playful media now dominate the landscape. But while videogames are exploring shared physical experiences, they remain confined to small private groups. Social media offers constant ‘connection’ to large groups, but we still leave home to enjoy the real contact of browsing in a coffee shop with others around us. Why aren’t we serving both these needs at once?

This talk discusses the delicate process of applying interactivity to large group experiences in real spaces. We’ll cover Loren Carpenter’s seminal early work through the esoteric world of interactive fulldome to the latest mass participation experiments. The session will feature a live 100 player game using laser pointers!